Concocting Chemistry
by theperfectrhyme
Summary: Tired of being labeled as the shy innocent Gabriella Montez, the sexually frustrated soprano concocts a plan to seduce Troy Bolton.
1. Prologue

Title: Concocting Chemistry

Summary: Tired of being labeled as the shy innocent Gabriella Montez, the sexually frustrated soprano concocts a plan to seduce Troy Bolton.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to HSM.

Rating: T for now.

A/N: I just wanted to give my own little twist on Troyella—and especially present a different side to Gabriella. Before you get any ideas about what this will be like keep in mind that I'm concentrating more on the humorous aspect of this story. Thus far in the writing process I don't think I'll be including any explicit scenes. There will be innuendos and references but nothing too graphic. Btw special thanks to sophthewiseone for coming up with the title and basically letting me bounce ideas off of her. She's awesome and you should all read her stuff! Now. Or rather after this chapter.

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Prologue

Now before I start let me just say that I love Troy. I LOVE HIM! He's literally the sweetest, most wonderful boyfriend a girl could ever have.

And that's the problem. He's just a little bit too sweet, a little bit too wonderful. As blissful as this year and a half with him have been, our relationship—with all its homecoming dances and spontaneous musical duets—is nothing short of a Care Bears episode. I mean when we go out I half expect Hello Kitty to come and escort us to the movies.

Maybe it's partially my fault. At East High I'm sweet innocent little Gabriella Montez. I don't lie, cheat or curse. Nary a dirty thought sullies this bright mind. People probably think I wake up to rainbows every morning and ride to school on my pink unicorn. This point of view has traveled over to Troy—my own boyfriend. He treats me with the kind of chivalry a knight would bestow upon a fair maiden. Meaning he opens doors, pulls out chairs and refuses to touch me. I mean REALLY touch me.

Which is why deep inside, beneath the sugar coated surface, I am boiling over with sexual frustration!

That's right East High, I WANT TO HAVE SEX!

There I said it.

Unfortunately with my unblemished reputation and the equally morally pristine state of my relationship this wasn't going to happen any time soon. Not unless I took action.

And this is why I had to seduce Troy Bolton.


	2. Hypothesis

Title: Concocting Chemistry

Summary: Tired of being labeled as the shy innocent one, the sexually frustrated Gabriella Montez concocts a plan to seduce Troy Bolton.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to HSM.

Rating: T for now.

A/N: Wow, I totally didn't expect to see so many reviews and hits so soon! Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed! They really help keep the creative juices flowing. lol.

**PenguinGoddess**: Haha yeah, I plan to basically torture Troy with this story, starting with this chapter. :)

**Mizani**: Yes! I'm tired of the same characterization of Gabriella. Hopefully this one will be a bit different…

**BehindMyEyes: **I'm so glad you liked it! I still want this story to sound like Gabriella, even if it isn't what everyone's used to.

Thanks to everyone else who posted! I managed to finish this chapter at like 4am, so hopefully you guys will enjoy an early update because I'd meant to post this chapter when I got back on Monday

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Chapter 1 - Hypothesis

I guess I should explain how this whole seduction business began.

A week or two ago Troy came over to my house to work on a project for our history class. My mom had gone out to dinner with a few friends, leaving us with the place to ourselves for a few hours. (Yes that's how far my sweet reputation has gone. My mother had trustingly left two hormonally-charged teenagers home alone on a Saturday night. Someone please stop this madness!) Anyways for a while Troy and I were in my bedroom carefully completing a timeline of Albuquerque's fascinating past. We remained sprawled on the ground, a huge piece of poster board between us and markers littered around us. But at some point, probably during the collapse of the San Felipe de Neri Church in 1793, I started to realize just how hot Troy looked and began to steal glances of him. This last year had been pretty good to him. He gained a few inches and bulked up quite nicely since that infamous musical. Heck, even the way his hair fell over his eyes sent shivers down my spine.

"What?" Troy asked, looking at me with a slightly bemused expression.

"Nothing!" I quickly answered, wiping up any excess drool and fixing my eyes back on to the face of Don Juan de Oñate—New Mexico's first governor.

"Are you okay?" He sounded genuinely concerned.

"Sorry Troy, it's just…very warm in here," I said.

I did actually feel my cheeks grow a bit hot. Slowly I unbuttoned my sweater, revealing a tiny white tank top I'd put on earlier. For practical purposes. Yeah…because low cut tops help me concentrate on schoolwork better. After tossing the garment on to my bed, I ran a hand through my long curly hair a few times and put it up into a messy bun. All the while I felt Troy's eyes on me. At last, this was the opportunity I was looking for.

Troy?" I peered at him with a carefully feigned look of bemusement. I'm not exactly sure what I looked like to him but I imagined that my eyes had turned as round as saucers, brimming with innocent sensuality. Hah, Lolita had nothing on me.

Troy swallowed hard and looked away, trying to look at anything but my chest—which threatened to pop out of my tank top at any moment.

"Nothing Gab. You just don't understand what you're doing," he muttered, unconvinced that his sweet girlfriend would act in such a way. He quickly got up and ran to the windows, opening them.

"But honey, won't it get too cold? I think its sprinkling a bit outside."

"N-no. It'll be fine. Just fine."

He stood in front of the open window for quite some time, his hands clenching the windowsill. Finally he turned around, taking deep breaths, and sat back on to the floor. Picking up a marker, Troy began to work on the project in earnest, almost puncturing the poster with the force of his blunt-tipped sharpie.

Obviously I was going to have to work a bit harder.

Letting out a yawn, I pulled both hands behind my back and stretched, sticking my breasts out to its furthest capacity.

He broke a marker. But his eyes remained straight on the paper.

I reached across the poster, momentarily blocking Troy's access to the assignment, and grabbed a marker. I did this ever so slowly, so as to offer Troy an ample view of his scientist-turned-sex kitten girlfriend.

He broke into a cold sweat and his eyes seemed to burn through me and remain fixated on the timeline.

I placed my hand gingerly on his very tense thigh.

This appeared to be the last straw because all of a sudden I found myself on my back and Troy on top of me. His lips were firmly planted on my own and I felt his hands settle on my hips and slowly creep their way up.

Now this was more like it.

I happily played along, kissing him and running my fingers through his hair. I even ignored the markers that were digging into my back. Sure we've kissed before, heck we've even made out a few select times. But never with this much vigor. Suddenly I began to really feel that all-consuming passion I'd secretly read in romance novels.

And then, just as quickly as it began, it ended. He abruptly snapped back into Sir Troy-A-Lot mode. As if struck by lightning he disentangled himself from me and hightailed it out of my room and into the balcony. By then the sprinkling I'd alluded to earlier had escalated to a full-fledged downpour.

Sighing, I got up and I walked over to my poor, tortured boyfriend.

"Troy," I called out to him from the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"It's raining."

"I know."

"And it's cold."

"I know Gabriella," He groaned. "Believe me, I know."

Needless to say Troy stayed out on my balcony for a very long time. So long in fact that I managed to watch an entire episode of Nova, call up Taylor and even give myself a manicure before he finally retreated back inside.

"Hey Gab?" Troy was absolutely soaked and creating lakes on my hard wood floors.

"Yes, sweetie?" I inquired pleasantly.

"I should go now."

"What? But we're not done yet."

"Oh believe me we're done—I mean that's okay honey! I'll finish it myself." He picked up the timeline and headed down the stairs and through the door. I would also like to add that he did all this without even kissing me on the cheek, as was customary.

On Monday he showed up to History with a runny nose and horribly put together timeline. It was so horrible in fact that I received my first B+ in years. Troy refused to even look at me that day. Possibly because I was wearing a halter top. But what can I say? I'd forgotten to do the laundry and it was the only thing left in the closet. Really.

I don't get it. Troy and I have been going out for quite some time. We had this great unshakeable love for each other and he still treated me like a sister. Now I wouldn't venture to call myself some lust-driven vixen but even I got a little antsy. I decided then and there to take the bull by the horns. I wanted Troy to look at me with that all-consuming passion, his e yes filled with love…and yes lust as well.

But how was I going to do that?

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A/N: And in case you want the official soundtrack for this chapter its Color Me Badd's "I Want to Sex You Up." Gotta love inspirational cheesy 80's songs.


	3. Research and Observation

Title: Concocting Chemistry

Summary: Tired of being labeled as the shy innocent one, the sexually frustrated Gabriella Montez concocts a plan to seduce Troy Bolton.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to HSM.

Rating: T. Nothing explicit, but there is some _interesting_ language.

A/N: I always seem to crank out chapters late at night. Anyways sorry it took so long for me to update. This chapter has been festering in my composition book for days but I hadn't found the motivation to finish it until today. So hopefully you like it! And thanks for all the reviews on the last two chapters!

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Chapter 2 – Research and Observation

"Hey Gabriella," Greeted Troy as soon as I'd arrived at East High that day. (And for the record my mom gave me a ride to school, not some life-size manifestation of My Little Pony.)

As usual he kissed me, albeit hesitantly, on the cheek and helped me carry my books over to my locker. Since the "timeline incident" the relationship between us physically had grown awkward. He was a bit reluctant to hold me hand and I felt the uncertainty in Troy's chaste kisses. If I'd felt like his sister before this whole fiasco surely I was relegated to his Great-Aunt Bertha by now.

Opening my locker, I placed the textbooks I would need later on the proper shelves and took out the necessary supplies for the first three periods. Troy smirked at my borderline obsessive organizational skills. Shutting the locker, I shot him a quick glare. It wasn't until we started to walk to homeroom that we began talking again.

"So how did your game go?" I asked. Troy had been gone over the weekend for an away game against West High.

"It was good. We won, of course," Troy grinned and then shyly added. "And…I missed you."

"Awww….Troy!" I blushed as I moved in to kiss him.

"Um, sorry to interrupt a Troyella moment," Taylor suddenly interrupted, coming between us. "But if we don't get moving Darbus will wring our necks."

Cursing, all three of us sprinted to homeroom. Thankfully we were still a few minutes early and Ms. Darbus hadn't even entered the room yet. I took a seat next to Troy, who was busily copying down Taylor's calculus homework. This gave me a few moments to myself. I'd spent the last week mulling over what had happened that infamous night. Obviously my spontaneous and rather amateur attempts at seduction had not been entirely successful. If I wanted to get Troy into bed I would have to apply all my mental powers towards a foolproof plan. I wasn't about to leave anything to chance. But before I could even formulate some sort of scheme I needed a foundation to start from. Like any good scientist, I would have to begin with research.

Interrupting my thoughts, Ms. Darbus walked into the classroom with a flourish and threw her bag onto the desk with a great thud. Behind her was Zeke who struggled to carry a tall stack of books, video tapes, posters and even a banana or two. Troy and I shot each other an amused expression. Darbus must've bullied the perennially-late Zeke into hauling all that stuff as punishment for his tardiness.

Tucking a wayward scarf out of the way, she walked towards the chalkboard and wrote in large looping script, "SEXUAL EDUCATION."

Hallelujah! I swear if it had been possible for me to give Darbus a bear hug and then grovel at her feet without the risk of detention, I totally would've at that point. I mean seriously, had she been reading my thoughts?

"Hello class. As you can see we're going to begin a new unit today. Since the school administration couldn't find the necessary funds to hire a new instructor—especially after giving the basketball team new uniforms—," she stopped and looked pointedly at Troy, "It is now up to me to teach you the wonders of procreation."

Immediately I raised my hand.

"Yes, Miss. Montez?"

"Will we be tested on this?"

The rest of the class groaned.

Darbus appeared genuinely puzzled for a second but answered, "Well, I certainly hadn't thought to test you on this subject. Or even how I would go about it. I will have to confer with the rest of my colleagues. But I suppose it is a possibility."

Satisfied, I straightened my posture and poised my pen over the paper in preparation for note-writing. For the next hour I listened intently to Darbus and took copious notes. I'd even drawn diagrams in the margins. I made a note of the video we were watching in case I needed to review before the exam. Surprisingly I appeared to be the only one paying any real attention to the class. Even Taylor seemed a bit more distracted than usual. I shrugged and continued to shade in a drawing of the cervix. At the moment any real seduction plans had been put on the backburner in the name of education. What can I say? You can take the girl out of the scholastic decathlon. But you can't take the scholastic decathlon out of the girl.

---

"Wow, so I totally did not neat to hear Darbus wax poetic about fellatio," Chad said a few hours later during lunch. At the lunch table sat our usual group of friends, an eclectic mix of jocks, scholars and even the occasional drama geek. We all shuddered at the memory and tried to bite into our meals.

"It was kind of creepy to hear it," Zeke admitted. "I spent the period just trying to pretend I was somewhere else."

"I think everyone did too," Taylor added.

"Everyone except Gabriella of course," Chad grinned. He raised his hand, his voice raising to a higher pitch in an impression of me, "_Oh Ms. Darbus, exactly how long will it be post-coitus before the male can become fully aroused again?"_

I blushed as the others laughed at me. I stole a glance at the unusually quiet Troy, who was also turning just as red. I decided not to mention that I was planning on seeing Darbus before class tomorrow to ask a few more questions. Attempting to defend myself I said "Well you heard her! There might be a test!"

"Even if she did test us, how hard could it be?" Sharpay pointed out, nibbling on a carrot stick. "It's just about sex."

Just about sex? How could these people be so casual about it?

Oh yeah, they didn't have an uber-hot boyfriend who refused to give up the goods.

Seeing how upset I was, Troy cracked his first smile at me and squeezed my hand. "Don't worry about it Gab. I'm sure it'll be fine. We should all know something about it right now. Even my dad gave me the talk years ago."

"Coach Bolton?" Chad asked in disbelief, raising an eyebrow.

Troy turned an even deeper shade of red at the memory. "Yeah, it was kind of weird. He kept insisting to always use a net to um…throw my basketball through."

We all cracked up. Leave it to his father to use sports analogies even when talking about sex.

After a few more minutes of hysterical laughter and incessant chatter, a hush settled over the table. Taylor, Sharpay and I exchanged knowing looks. Sure enough Stacey Lin, or as Taylor liked to call her "Tits McGee", had passed by our group. Truthfully she was the most coveted piece of ass at East High. Even Troy couldn't help but stare for a few seconds; I made a mental note to clock him over the head later on because of that.

While I would've usually just scoffed at her and gone on my merry way, I paid special attention to her this time. Here was a girl who could reduce at guy at school into a blob of pink jelly. I wanted to figure what she had that I didn't. She was certainly more blessed in the breast department than I ever hoped to be. But she also dressed in a way that seemed to grabt everyone's attention. With hot pants and low-cut tops that defied gravity, Stacey barely got byin following the dress code. Today she'd definitely trumped my humble attire of plain t-shirt and miniskirt…which I had to put on at the last minute, since I'd spilled jam all over pants that morning. Not that it mattered anyway, since Troy barely looked at the flash of leg I provided him with.

I realized now that if I wanted to get Troy to notice me—at least to the point that he lost all sense of chivalry and personal morality—I had to go to extreme lengths. What I'd been doing lately just wasn't going to cut it.

"Taylor!" I cried in a moment of great comprehension and understanding, "We need to go to the mall!"

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A/N: That's it for now. I hope you guys like it! crosses fingers I've already started on the next chapter. So hopefully it'll be up soon.


	4. Pepsi Cans and Battle Plans

Title: Concocting Chemistry

Summary: Tired of being labeled as the shy innocent one, the sexually frustrated Gabriella Montez concocts a plan to seduce Troy Bolton.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to HSM.

Rating: T. I actually think this chapter's pretty tame.

A/N: This chapter is officially dedicated to my boyfriend who bought me HSM on DVD. Suffice to say that I've become a slave to this Disney movie and Jason Cross has my heart (and anything else he wants too). By the way, thanks you guys for the awesome reviews!

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Chapter 3 – Pepsi Cans and Battle Plans

"Do you understand what Ms. Weigand was going on and on about today in Chem? I know we're doing titrations tomorrow in lab and I think we'll need that last equation."

I shrugged and half-heartedly listened to Taylor ramble about Chemistry Class. After school we'd headed straight for her car. With Chad at basketball practice and my promise to study with her later, Taylor was pretty receptive to a shopping trip, even if it meant putting off homework.

"Gabriella? Hello? Earth to Gabriella!" Taylor said, managing to both wave a hand in front of my face and make a right turn.

Startled, I shook my head and sheepishly replied, "Sorry."

"Anyways, what do you think about the team meeting after—"

"TAYLOR,DOYOUANDCHADEVERHAVESEX?" I suddenly blurted out in one breath.

Abruptly she slammed on the brakes, sending me careening towards the dashboard. After making sure I was okay, Taylor stepped back on the gas and began apologizing profusely.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Gabriella. I guess you took me by surprise or something because for a second there I thought you were asking me if Chad and I were having—"

"Sex?" I helpfully supplied.

The car screeched to a halt yet again and thanks to its shoddy seatbelts my forehead made friends with the dash for a second time. After another round of apologies and giving the finger to several honking cars, Taylor finally pulled over to the side of the road.

Putting the car in park, she turned to me, "What's gotten into you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked; my voice small and pathetic as I cradled my poor head in my hands.

"Asking these questions about Chad and—"

"Sex?"

"There you go again, saying that word—"

"Sex?"

"Will you knock it off with all this talk about—"

"Sex?"

"Argh!"

Taylor closed her eyes and began to massage her temples, as if trying to come up with a plan to knock some sense into her brain-addled best friend. "Gab, why are you asking me these things?"

"I just want to know. I mean…do you?" I asked hesitantly.

Taylor was silent for a second before quietly answering, "Yes, we do."

Good Lord! Was I the only one not getting any action at East High?

"Why do you ask, anyways?" Taylor said, raising an eyebrow at me.

Even though she's one of my best friends, Taylor still possesses a certain look that can turn me into an awkward first grader. I blushed under her scrutiny, "Well…me and Troy don't…do those things."

"Girl, is that what this is all about!" Taylor heaved a huge sigh of sigh of relief. Looking at me with a mixture of pity and motherly concern, she launched into a speech that unfortunately did nothing to comfort me. "Listen, I know that with Darbus teaching Sex Ed and Tits rearing her ugly STD-infected head today you might be upset but don't worry! I think it's great that you're saving yourself for marriage. Sex is something you should only share with the one you love and you shouldn't be ashamed of being a virgin."

"TAYLOR, I WANT TO HAVE SEX!"

Wow, had I really screamed that out loud?

"I'm sorry. It's just that I don't want to stay a virgin. I don't want to save myself for marriage. I just want to have sex, to knock boots, to make the beasts with two backs!"

Taylor looked visibly shaken by my impassioned outcry. She blinked and slowly asked, "With Troy?"

"Yes with Troy!"

"Then…um…do it."

"It's not that simple!" I cried.

I don't know if it was the heat, the sympathetic expression on Taylor's face or just pent up frustration, but I found myself telling Taylor everything. I rambled on about the timeline incident, the way Troy stared at Tits McGee and how sick I was of being sweet, virginal Gabriella. I must've shed a few tears because I remember wiping a few of them away with my Hello Kitty handkerchief. The entire time Taylor remained silent, occasionally offering pats on the back. After I finished my thirty minute spiel she wordlessly put the car in drive and headed back down the street.

"Taylor, this isn't the way to the mall…" I suddenly became fearful that she was taking me to an asylum to be institutionalized.

"I know."

"Then where are we going?"

"To the library."

"Why?"

"I need a place to think."

Within a few minutes, we'd pulled into the parking lot of the Public library. Grabbing her backpack and my hand, Taylor charged her way through the building until we got to a deserted section—090 Manuscripts and Book Rarities to be exact.

We settled down at a nearby table. Taylor took out a pad of paper and a can of Pepsi.

"You can't drink that here!" I hissed.

"I'm need caffeine if I'm going to help you with this plan," Taylor insisted, popping open her can and taking a sip.

"Wait, what plan?"

"Operation: Making Sweet Love to Troy Bolton."

"What?" I exclaimed, shooting out of my seat.

"Shhh!" Taylor clapped a hand over my mouth and pulled me back down. "Gabi, you seem pretty desperate right now and I think I could help you. Will you let me?"

"You do realize that you're helping me seduce Troy Bolton. Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"If you say so."

And with that Taylor went straight to work. I suppose after Chaylor's collective efforts to stop the callbacks last year I should've know she'd be good at scheming. But even I was surprised at how quickly she was able to brainstorm and dispense helpful device.

"Never be too obvious when you seduce him." Taylor said. "Let him go on thinking that he's in control and that anything you guys do was his idea from the get-go. He'll never suspect a thing and hopefully be too distracted to realize he's actually deflowering you."

At that point I clung on to ever word she said and began writing my own supplemental notes. I began to wonder if our Scholastic Decathlon would've been much more successful if the competition centered around sex.

During the next hour or so, Taylor and I did some intense planning. We estimated the distance between the front door and my bed. We researched aphrodisiacs and checked out some Barry White and Marvin Gaye CDS. Finally Operation: Making Sweet Love to Troy Bolton was completely outlined, with every possible situation carefully choreographed.

We decided that the next time my mom went away for the weekend I would invite him over under the guise of a simple romantic dinner and some innocent cuddling in front of the television. But boy would thinks change once he got in the house. As gentlemanly as Troy thinks he is, even he wouldn't be able to resist the power of candlelight, soft music and me in a really hot dress.

Taylor and I packed up our bags and headed out the library. We still needed to go to the mall and purchase the necessary supplies.

The first step to Operation:MSLTTB would soon be on its way.


	5. Preparation

Title: Concocting Chemistry

Summary: Tired of being labeled as the shy innocent one, the sexually frustrated Gabriella Montez concocts a plan to seduce Troy Bolton.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to HSM, Victoria's Secret or Frederick's of Hollywood.

Rating: T—Sexual Innuendos galore!

A/N: As requested, I made this chapter extra long! It's also written in celebration of John Mayer's new cd, which I've basically listened to non-stop. **GO BUY IT!**

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Chapter 4 – Preparation

New lesson of the day: Sex does not come cheap!

As it turned out I didn't have the right clothes for seduction. Like Taylor sagely expressed "pink and printed kittens on your shirt do not get you laid!" And thus we began our shopping trip at the department store in search the perfect do-me dress for the romantic dinner. Heading for the dress department, Taylor and I began combing through racks and taking out garment after garment. By the time we finished I was holding a mountain of satin and chiffon that threatened to knock me over.

"We're going to be hear for a long time," I sighed, taking the dresses with me into the fitting room.

The first dress was a scarlet red halter dress that ended mid-thigh. With a plunging neckline that ended a scant inch above my belly button, I was left wondering what sort of bra I could wear with this thing.

"What do you think?" I asked, stepping out of the fitting room and walking towards Taylor, who was sitting on the ground.

"We want you to get laid, not run an escort service," Taylor said, briefly looking up from the AP English book in her lap.

The second dress was very _interesting._ This satin number was all kinds of wrong with its extravagantly puffed sleeves and a huge frothy bow that covered my entire backside. The dress was so long that it ended at a teal puddle around my feet. It was like a bridesmaid's dress from hell.

"Taylor! I can't wear this thing!" I said, getting ready to tear the dress off me.

"Oh come on!" She replied coaxingly, "Let me see it!"

Groaning, I opened the door only to be greeted by peals of laughter. Taylor was practically rolling on the ground, giggling hysterically. I glared at her. But it was hard to seem intimidating when it looked like the 80's threw up all over you.

"I'm so sorry, Gabriella. I just threw that in there to see if you'd actually try it on," Taylor said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

I rolled my eyes and slammed the door shut.

After about the fiftieth dress I'd begun to lose hope. Even my fingers started to get sore from the constant pulling of zippers. Finally I got to the last one. It was a black strapless dress. It was rather simple, the only real adornment being a dark satin ribbon around the waist. The bodice was snug and revealed only a hint of cleavage, while from the waist down it flared out into a full skirt. The dress ended a few inches above the knee and I was pretty sure I had a pair of stilettos at home that would go perfectly with the outfit. Staring at the mirror I gave myself a once over. I didn't look half-bad.

"How about this one?" I asked, leaving my dressing room.

After looking at me up and down, a huge smile broke across Taylor's face. "It's perfect! This is the one!"

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Of course I am!"

"I just want to make sure it's the right one." I said uncertainly. I knew I looked good, but _that_ good?

Taylor sighed exasperatedly, "Don't believe me? We'll ask for a second opinion."

Without even waiting for my reply, she'd begun walking towards a different department. But before confusion could start to set in, I heard Taylor's voice across the way. My ears perked up to the snippets of conversation.

"Hey Ryan! You're here! Perfect!...Would you mind coming over with me to the dress department with me?...I just want to get your opinion on something!...Hello! Sharpay's in the fitting room, I think she'll be ok for two minutes…Then bring her purse with you...Why are you even holding it?...Gah, nevermind! Just come with me!"

Within seconds Taylor managed to drag a very irritated Ryan Evans towards our department.

"Ok, you got me here," he muttered. "What exactly do you need my opinion on?"

"Gabriella! You can come out now."

I walked out of the dressing room area and over to where Taylor and Ryan were standing. Smoothing the dress over my body, I cocked my head to the side and asked, "What do you think?"

"Uh…uh….uh…" Stunned, Ryan began to make choking sounds. His eyes rolled heavenward and…THUD!

Grinning at each other over the unconscious crumpled body that now graced the floor, Taylor and I agreed in unison, "It's perfect!"

---

The second thing on the list was lingerie. When I finally got Troy to unzip that do me dress, I sure as heck wasn't going to have a pair of floral granny panties greeting him!

After purchasing the dress we walked over to Frederick's of Hollywood Entering the brightly lit store, I was immediately greeted by a barrage of corsets, thongs, garters and other unmentionables. They were on mannequins and featured on huge posters hanging everywhere. I even tripped on a wayward g-string someone forgot to pick up.

Dizzily, I felt like the walls were closing in on me. I started taking huge rapid gulps of air and began to hyperventilate. I guess it sounds really stupid but when I imagined making sweet love to Troy I figured I'd somehow be properly clothed. Or at least wearing something more than just pasties.

"I-I-I can't do this Taylor," I croaked. "It's too much. This store is so…"

Taylor patted me soothingly on the back and helped me out of the store. Always the girls scout, she fished out a paper bag for me and had me sit on a nearby chair.

After a few minutes she finally said, "I know the store is a bit…much…to take in for the first time."

I fervently nodded, breathing in and out of the bag.

"Are you sure you're ready to have sex?"

Putting down the bag, I thought for a second. "It's not that, it just that I don't think I need all this stuff," I said, gesturing towards an elaborate window display of corsets. "I just want me, Troy and the absence of granny panties."

Taylor made a face, "I really didn't need to hear that last sentence."

"I'm serious! It's like when I tried on that red hooker dress. It was too much and in the end I wanted something more subtle—the black one."

With a new sense of resolve, she pursed her lips together and said, "Alright then. Let's go."

Taking me by the arm, Taylor once again dragged me to a different part of the mall. This time however we wound up at the entrance of Victoria's Secret. Squealing with excitement, I ran over to the cheerful rainbow-hued section of Pink apparel. Giving the cute stuffed dog at the center of the panty display a jolly pat, I began looking through the carefully arranged rows of underwear. This was more my speed. I actually shopped at Victoria's Secret. My closet was full of Pink sweatpants and hoodies.

Taylor took the vividly colored boy shorts out of my hand. "Yes, because Troy will be overcome with lust once he sees the hearts and embroidered dogs on your skivvies!"

"Good point," I sighed, walking away.

As we made out way through the store we were approached by rather chipper salesgirl, "Hi! Is there anything I can help you with?"

I'll never know if it was my deep dislike for uncomfortable situations with overly enthusiastic salespeople or just the brain-addled state I was currently in, but I found myself blurting out yet again, "I want to have sex."

Alarmed she said, "Um...excuse me?"

"I mean I really need to have sex."

I would now like to take the time to point out that before sex ever became an issue, I was never afflicted with such horrible cases of verbal diarrhea.

Taking a cautious step back, the now flustered salesgirl answered, "Er…I don't think I can help you with that."

"Please excuse her," Taylor interjected, guiding me towards a different direction. "She's ummm…going through a difficult period in her life right now."

I weakly nodded and the salesgirl was soon out of sight.

"I wish you'd stop doing that, Gabriella. You're really starting to scare people now."

I sighed, "Soon all of Albuquerque will know about Operation: Making Sweet Love to Troy Bolton."

Taylor gave me a reassuring pat. "Think optimistically! The only reason why we're going all this is to get Troy in the sack. Once he gives up the goods, you'll stop going crazy and scaring people."

Ladies and gentleman, Taylor McKessie, Queen of the Pep talk.

Over the next forty-five minutes or so, Taylor and I carefully looked over the store's selection of undergarments. Ignoring anything that looked remotely like dental floss we picked out a black lace bra and panty set to wear under my dress. After realizing that all my pajamas were in pastels and printed with some sort of printed image, we also picked out a short black silky negligee. Don't why we were going with a black theme with everything we've been buying. I don't know, maybe I was trying to mourn over the death of my virginity?

With all these items in tow (and a bottle of Love Spell lotion for good measure) we got in line to pay. While waiting I began to mentally add up the prices. It was then I realized how much I was spending.

"Taylor!" I hissed. "I can't buy all this stuff!"

"And why not?"

"Well for one thing, I'm not ready to sell my soul to the devil to pay for everything!"

"Fine. But when Troy chickens out and you're forced to take a vow of celibacy and live in a convent in Austria, send me a postcard!"

"Whatever. I see your point," I grumbled, digging around my wallet for my debit card. It was going to be a while before I could afford that custom-designed lab coat.

---

After a round of Big Macs and cokes to revive us from that arduous shopping trip, Taylor and I finally headed back home. Taylor dropped my off at my house and I quickly ran upstairs to hide my purchases. I squeezed my bags into a dark corner of the closet and with that, headed back down the stairs to greet my mom.

I found her in the kitchen, talking on the phone. Not wanting to bother her, I busied myself with getting glass of water and of course eavesdropping in on the conversation.

"San Francisco, John? This is a bit of a short notice," My mom said with a slight frown. "Well if it's that important that I'm there…alright…see you tomorrow. Bye."

Hanging up the phone, she sat down next to me at the table and kissed me on the cheek. "So Gabi, how was school today?"

"Pretty good. We're starting to get ready for the next Scholastic Decathlon. Then after school me and Taylor did a little shopping."

"Well that's good. Listen honey, I need to fly down to San Francisco for the weekend."

"Oh really?" I asked casually, giving a small silent cheer.

"The hotel owners need me to look over the building before they start hiring interior decorators. They're just paranoid about the structure and wanted to make sure they were protected."

Although I wasn't listening very carefully to my mom, the last word jumped out at me. I wanted to slap myself in the forehead. Of course I'd need protection of some sort. When Troy was going to unleash his...equipment, it was going to be wrapped up tight. I wasn't ready to deal with another Bolton.

"That sounds interesting…" I trailed off.

"Do you think you could stay with the McKessies for the weekend?"

"No!" I quickly exclaimed. "Umm…I mean, I'd hate to burden them. Besides I'll be ok on my own."

"Are you sure? I could have Mrs. McKessie check in on you."

"Mo-om! I'll be fine! Really!" I reassured her, giving her my best I'll-be-responsible-and-not-invite-my-boyfriend-over-to-have-sex smile.

"Alright then. If you sure you'll be ok…"

"Don't worry about it," I answered. Hastily, I tried to change the subject before she could think about it any further. "Hey mom, could I borrow the car for a little while. I need to pick up something at the drugstore."

"Sure. Just be—"

And with that I flew out of the kitchen and ran straight for the car. I wasn't going to leave my mom time to ask anymore questions. On the way to the nearest drugstore, I couldn't help but think about how I, Gabriella Montez, was going off to buy condoms. Condoms! I certainly never thought that I'd be in this situation. Actually I'd ever really thought about condoms period. Not even when I did my second grade science fair project on latex and its formation in the laticiferous system.

Fifteen minutes later I was at the parking lot of Walgreens. I took on a minute or two to compose myself. Then I put on a pair of dark sunglasses and adjusted baseball cap on my head to a lower level. But as soon as I stepped out of the car door a familiar voice greeted me.

"Gabriella!" Kelsi greeted, walking towards me.

Obviously my disguise was not working.

"Umm…hi," I answered, a bit surprised. "What brings you here?"

"Just had to pick up a few things for my mom," she said, gesturing towards the bags she was carrying. "What about you?"

"Er…same here!"

"Anyways, I should get going. But I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye!"

I watched her walk to her car before breathing a sigh of relief. Phew! I did not need to have her see me making my "special purchase." Walking into the store, I relished in the icy cold blast of the air conditioner. I bent over to pick up a shopping basket. When I stood back up I was met with another familiar face.

"Hey," Zeke said, with a smile.

"Hi." I gulped nervously. "What are you up to?"

"I'm actually in the middle of making a Baba au rhum right now. Turns out I've run out of butter. Usually I don't buy this low quality stuff, but it was the nearest store and I was desperate," he whispered conspiratorially.

"Don't worry," I winked. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Well I need to pay for all of this, so I'll see you later."

I waved goodbye and turned towards the feminine products aisle. But before I could even turn the corner, yet another familiar face came into view.

"Hi Gabriella!" Sharpay explained, attempting to hold several packages of butter. "Have you seen Zeke?"

I pointed towards the cash registers.

"Thanks!" She called out running towards that direction.

Good god did all of East High decide to shop at the very same drugstore? Or was it turn Gabriella crazy day?

Making sure that there wasn't yet another person that I knew near by, I quickly walked into the feminine products aisle.

Wow, so I totally wasn't expecting to find so many different kinds of condoms. In fact was sort of hoping that there would only be one brand waiting for me. But noooo, I was greeted with miles upon miles of contraception. Lubricated, extra sensitive, ribbed for her pleasure, strawberry flavored, one that shoots off lasers…

I stood there for quite some time, absolutely dumbfounded. If this was a box of crackers or something I'd look at the nutrition facts. Did they even have nutrition facts on condoms? Or I guess I could base it on the price. But something makes me suspicious about condoms being priced half-off.

"Hello, Ms. Montez," said a voice from right behind me.

I turned around only to find Ms. Darbus staring right back.

Oh shit.

"Hi, Ms. Darbus," I said, trying my best to feign a bright and cheerful voice. "I was just doing some research for class tomorrow."

"I see."

"This really has nothing to do with my personal life. Strictly academics."

"Well I hope you have fun…researching." Darbus coughed, tugging awkwardly at the scarf around her neck. "I should be going off now."

"Bye. See you tomorrow."

Quickly, Darbus' hand shot out and grabbed a package of condoms. With that, she sprinted down the aisle and out of my field of vision.

I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. Darbus….buying…condoms?

Well I suppose even eccentric drama teachers need love too.

Grabbing whatever package seemed to be the least complicated; I threw the condoms into my shopping basket and walked away. However as I continued walk, I looked down to and saw just how empty my basket looked with just a box of condoms in it. What would the cashier think of me? I had to buy a few others things to cover it up.

Within a few minutes my basket had accumulated two Snickers bars, a set of highlighters, a toilet bowl brush, a pair of water wings, liver aid tablets and a CD of Olivia Newton John's greatest hits. There leave it to the cashier to figure me out.

Thankfully, purchasing all these things was a snap. I managed not to bump into any more East High attendees and the lady at the register was nonchalant about everything I was buying.

With my purchases in tow, I walked back towards my car and drove home. Once I got to my house, I ignored my mom's greeting and ran straight to my room. I stuffed the bags in the closet with everything else I had bought that day.

It wasn't until then that I realized just how worn out I was. Today's intense planning and shopping excursion had taken their toll on me. But before I could rest there was one last thing I had to do. I took out my cell phone and dialed Troy's number.

"Well if it isn't the most beautiful, most intelligent girl I know," Troy answered charmingly.

I laughed, "What do you want, Bolton?"

"The answer to number thirteen on tonight's Calculus homework."

I shook my head, "You know I can't give you the answers."

"Well, I figured this was a fringe benefit to being your boyfriend. I did teach you how to do a layup."

"Whatever, you dork."

"Anyways," Troy interjected, "Since you didn't call to help me with Calculus, what's up?"

"Well my mom won't be home this weekend so I was just wondering if you could hang out here on Friday night."

"I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Please! I need you to um…" I racked my mind for excuses. "…help me with chemistry."

"Gab, we're not even in the same class."

Damn. Gotta think of another excuse.

I sighed dramatically, "If you must know. I wanted you over so I could surprise you with a romantic dinner. You know, for our anniversary."

"Our an-aniversary?" Troy croaked. I could practically hear the wheels in his head turn, just trying to figure out exactly what anniversary we were celebrating.

"Uh huh. It'll be exactly a year, a month and two weeks since we umm…had those call backs for the winter musical."

"Oh yeah! I was totally going to do that to…but um….you beat me to it. "

"It's ok. Don't worry about it anything. On Friday night it will be so romantic that I'll make sure you come."

"WHAT?"

Oops. Had I really said that?

"You know, come over to my house." I answered ever-so-innocently.

"Yeah. Totally. Listen, I should probably go now," Troy said before quickly hanging up the phone.

I smiled in satisfaction and put my cell phone away. With that last bit finally done I fell on to my bed in a huge exhausted heap and napped for what seemed like hours.

---

A/N: I hope you guys like it! I don't think I've worked any harder on a chapter and writing this has certainly lead to many interesting google searches…


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